Don't you leave me lonely, now
by geritalia
Summary: "Don't even think about it, Feliciano. Didn't you learn last time?" "Yes." Feliciano replied quietly. He looked away from that man, the blonde that reminded him a little too much of him. Maybe that was why a part of Feliciano wanted desperately to know who that man was.
1. Chapter 1

It all began with a single, simple word. 'Yes,' spoken only twice that night. He saw that tall blonde, and he saw him. His darker haired brother whispered to him, "Don't even think about it, Feliciano. Didn't you learn last time?"

"Yes." Feliciano replied quietly. He looked away from that man, the blonde that reminded him a little too much of _him._ Maybe that was why a part of Feliciano wanted desperately to know who that man was, and the other part said "No, Feliciano, it won't end well. Can't you see? Listen to your brother."

But Feliciano never did listen well. Shortly after, Lovino had walked away to talk to Antonio -a friend of his, if not more-, but keeping his eye on his younger brother, no doubt. Feliciano gave him time to down a few drinks, waiting until his older brother's mind had wandered from watching over him.

Occasionally stealing glances at the blonde, he saw that a shorter pale-haired man had accompanied him. Judging by the shorter's behavior, they were close. A friend, Feliciano guessed. Feliciano noticed that the blonde didn't talk much. He rarely smiled, but that could easily be fixed, Feliciano thought. Looking in his brother's direction, he saw to his relief and amusement that he may had given Lovino _too_ much time to get drunk. That was okay, the more, the better. The less he would notice.

Feliciano walked in the blonde's direction, seeing an empty chair next to the man's friend. "Edelstein! Aw, come back! I didn't mean it...!" The pale-haired one called to the man of which who appeared to be walking away in annoyance. _Edelstein._ That rung in Feliciano's head for a moment, trying to place just where he knew that name. He stopped for a second, until the answer arose in his brain. _His babysitter._ Yes, the terrible Roderich Edelstein. Four-eyes, also known as The World's Worst Caretaker. Feliciano laughed a little at that, continuing to make his way over. He greeted both the pale-haired man and the blonde, to which the shorter one happily greeted him back, seeming very happy at Feliciano's presence. The blonde merely mumbled something, giving a small wave of his hand.

As Feliciano conversed with the lighter-haired man, he was exposed the information that this man was the blonde's brother, Gilbert. He also now knew that the blonde's name was Ludwig. Gilbert explained practically his life story to the Italian, but practically all Feliciano could think about was that mysterious German, barely at all about the "Prussian." Making sure that he looked like he was paying attention to Gilbert, he continued to sneak looks at Gilbert's younger brother.

"So I told him, 'Rod, you need to loosen up,' and his wifey over here-" Gilbert babbled on, interrupting himself to point indiscreetly at a young woman with long brown hair, "Said 'Fuck off, Gilbert,' lookin' real-" Gilbert interrupted himself yet again to look over at Feliciano. "You aren't listening, are you?" He asked, not seeming offended at all, as if it may be normal for people to stop listening to his ramblings.

"Hm? Oh, no, I'm listening!" Feliciano lied, blinking his eyes fast, snapping out of his thoughts.

"Alright, excuse me, boys, I've got to handle something." Gilbert said, eyeing that brown-haired woman as she glared at him, the look of anger, moving her hand as to say 'Come here right now, you dirty bastard.' Gilbert stood up, patting Ludwig's shoulder, "C'mon, say something, would ya? I'll be back soon, don't be shy." He encouraged. Ludwig sighed, looking a little bit annoyed. _Was he blushing?_ He cleared his throat, looking over at the Italian.

"Uh," He began, signaling the Italian to _please say something so it's not so awkward over here._

"Feliciano." He introduced himself. "I..um, I already know who you are, your brother told me." Feliciano said, smiling. Ludwig nodded. After a short silence, it was obvious that it was Ludwig's turn to say something.

"So, you guys really get along, huh?" Ludwig asked, referring to Feliciano and his brother.

"Yeah, I guess you could say that. Nice guy. Y' lucky to have someone who's not so bent out of shape all the time." Feliciano joked, looking briefly over at his own brother. "Don't get me wrong, I love him to death, but I think you know how brothers can get sometimes." He quickly added. Ludwig let out a huff that could resemble a short laugh, smirking a little. "Yeah, no joke." He replied. "He can be a real idiot sometimes, but he always comes around." Ludwig said. Feliciano scooted over into Gilbert's seat.

"Gilbert said you were German, right?" Feliciano asked, trying to spark up small talk. Talking with this one was like trying to light a fire with wet wood.

"Yes, what of it?" Ludwig inquired.

"Oh, nothing, it just interested me that you were German, and he was Prussian." Feliciano answered. Ludwig lightly scoffed.

"Blame it on his pride." He mumbled, staring absent-mindedly into his beer mug.

"I understand, my brother insists on being called southern Italian." Feliciano said.

"'That so?" Ludwig asked.

"Mm, yeah, see, he was raised in south Italy, I was raised in the north. We weren't very close as kids. Long distance is hard on relationships, I guess." Feliciano explained.

"I don't remember much of my childhood, myself." Ludwig said, drinking the last of his beer. Feliciano frowned, wondering how that could be. "I hear enough about it from Roderich and Gilbert anyway, so I guess there's no big loss." Ludwig explained. There was about a minute-long silence that they both endured, Feliciano's brother's words echoing in his mind, _Didn't you learn last time?_ , until Gilbert came back with a new bloodied nose. "That girl'll punch the shit out 'a 'ya." He panted, laughing to himself, stumbling into the empty seat next to Feliciano. "So, you boys enjoying yourselves?" Gilbert asked, wiping his nose.

"'Time of my life." Ludwig muttered.

"Oh, come on, lighten up, would 'ya?" Gilbert said back, smiling over at his brother.

"I've heard that from at least three people tonight." Ludwig commented.

"Maybe you should listen to 'em sometime, eh?" Gilbert advised, sarcasm thick in his voice.

"I will try, Bruder." Ludwig retorted.

"Good, a good attitude'll steal anyone's heart, remember that." Gilbert said with a wink, nodding over at the Italian slightly. Ludwig blushed a little at his brother's words. Gilbert leaned down to whisper in his brother's ear, "He's a keeper, Lud." Ludwig's face burned brighter than it had been already. *Gilbert slapped Ludwig's back playfully, walking off again, waving over at a long-haired blonde.

Still blushing slightly, Ludwig let out a small cough, capturing the Italian's attention again. Feliciano smiled over at Ludwig. Feliciano quickly glanced over at the other end of the bar, spotting his brother looking around, probably for him. Feliciano stood up from his seat, looking into Ludwig's eyes.

"I've had a great time tonight with the both of you. It seems my brother is about ready to leave, so I have to excuse mysel-" Feliciano stopped himself, looking into Ludwig's eyes again, seeing trouble and disappointment. "I'll leave you my phone number, yeah?" Feliciano offered. Ludwig nodded, blushing subtly.

"I-I'd like that." Ludwig answered. Feliciano quickly scribbled his number onto a napkin, glancing again anxiously at his brother, who seemed to be getting quite impatient. Ludwig looked up at Feliciano, accepting his farewell. He smiled faintly, as he watched Feliciano's figure leave the bar with his brother.

Gilbert returned not long after, seeming a little disappointed as well, noting the Italian's absence.

"Where'd he go?" he questioned.

"Left with his brother." Ludwig replied. Gilbert hummed.

"'Ya get 'is number?" Gilbert asked.

"Of course I did." Ludwig confessed.

"Nn, that's my boy!" Gilbert exclaimed, slapping his brother's back once more. Ludwig rolled his eyes, stuffing the napkin in his pocket.

"Cute one, wasn't he?" Gilbert continued.

"Alright, let's get you home, Gilbert." Ludwig grumbled.

"But the night has only just-"

"No buts, come on. Drank all my beer, let's get out of here."

"...Fine." Gilbert agreed.

 _To be continued..._


	2. Chapter 2

Lovino walked with his brother, asking drunkenly, "You talked to him, didn't you? I could smell potatoes on him from across the bar, damnit."

"He was very nice, fratello." Feliciano muttered.

"Alright, alright, but you two aren't having sex until I meet him, understand?" Lovino warned. Feliciano blushed, swallowing hard. "Oh, don't tell me I'm saying that too late..." Lovino continued, taking note of his brother's expression.

"N-No! You're not too late, I only gave him my phone number!" Feliciano said quickly. Lovino raised an eyebrow, mumbling something.

"..Alright then. I guess I can live with that. Be careful with him, you hear? You barely know 'im." Lovino nagged.

 _And you be careful with Antonio, fratello,_ Feliciano thought. Feliciano laughed quietly at that.

"The fuck you laughin' at?" Lovino barked.

"Oh, um, nothing. I understand." Feliciano replied, smiling slightly. Lovino continued walking with his brother, grumbling.

Gilbert almost fell asleep waiting for Ludwig to unlock the door. Ludwig sighed, fumbling with the keys. "Oh, come on, already, I'm gonna die out here." Gilbert complained, shivering."Ja, ja, be patient." Ludwig replied quietly. Finally, the door opened. Gilbert stumbled in shortly after, making his way onto the couch. Ludwig set his keys down on the table next to the door. Emptying his pockets, he was reminded of the napkin Feliciano had given him with his phone number scrawled on it. Gilbert's words came up in his head. _Cute one, wasn't he?_

And that was how it went. For a week and a half, Feliciano thought of Ludwig, and Ludwig thought of him. For a week and a half, just about every night, seeing each other at eight o'clock sharp. Their brothers accompanied them, but after their drunken disappearances to other ends of the bar, they were left to talk by themselves. The two began to know just about everything about each other that the other was willing to share. Ludwig opened up more to the Italian with each passing night, and Feliciano welcomed every word Ludwig spoke with open arms. Feliciano talked of his childhood, and how he had known Roderich. That was the part that Ludwig didn't have good memory of.

It always varied when Feliciano would leave. It really all depended on his brother, Feliciano could stay all night with Ludwig, listening to the way his voice always sounded so...fitting to his personality. It was low, deep, but if you listened, you could hear the emotion in his voice when he spoke. He cared, he really did, but many people didn't care to listen more than what he was saying, paying more attention to what he was saying than to how he was saying it. But Feliciano was one of the few people who _did_ care to listen, because the more Ludwig talked, the more he had Feliciano's heart in his pocket.

Even Lovino began to start to accept it, but Ludwig's nickname had stuck. "Potato bastard," he had called him more than anyone cared to count. Lovino accepted it, he had to because when Feliciano talked, his words always drifted to him. Lovino was happy that his brother was happy, though. That part was undeniable. He was happy that the potato bastard made him happy. It was fairly obvious that Feliciano made Ludwig happy, too. Also Gilbert. Gilbert was more than happy to see Feliciano nearly every night.

And so it went, with each heartbeat, with each blink of an eye, every passing second, their relationship grew. Ludwig would have never guessed that his own brother would introduce him to Feliciano. He would have called it a lie, had he heard it from someone else before the event. But it was not a lie that both of their brothers loved them.

Gilbert would not say that Ludwig was _sad_ before Feliciano, and he would also call it terribly cliché to say that 'Feliciano lit up his world, and blah, blah, blah..', but he would say that Ludwig seemed considerably happier. He would also say that his new friend was cute. If they were just friends, Gilbert was unsure.

Lovino wouldn't say that Feliciano was sad, either. In public, Feliciano kept his cheery attitude, often talking with people at random, just to share his happiness with them. But when he was alone, his mood would change. Feliciano was a different person. He was quiet, letting his mind wander from what others were saying to him, whether that be his grandfather, or his brother. But he was different now, he had changed. Lovino knew that thought sounded cringe-worthy, too Hollywood-Teenage-Love-Story cheesy. But it was true.

 _To be continued..._


	3. Chapter 3

That night, Feliciano was greeted once again by the strong smell of alcohol and sweaty party-goers. Tonight was different, seeing that his brother did not accompany him tonight. Slowly scanning the room, he quickly found Ludwig and his brother in that left corner of the bar. His brother talking loudly, he wasn't exactly hard to miss, but in a room full of nearly ninety-five people, he wasn't the easiest to find, either. Feliciano made his way over to them, Gilbert's smile brightening upon his presence. Ludwig greeted Feliciano, smiling slightly as the Italian sat down next to him.

Again, Gilbert took his cue to leave, getting up to find another friend of his. Feliciano talked up the conversation in his usual way, a way that was truly comforting, Ludwig thought, a way that spoke, 'I'm going to talk a lot, but don't feel like you have to.' They spoke for ten minutes before Feliciano asked an abrupt question, straying from the conversation's topic. "Will you come with me back to my apartment?" Feliciano quickly questioned. There was a two second gap while Ludwig processed his words.

"Uh- Yes, I'll go with you, but we have to tell Gilbert so he can get a ride home from someone." Ludwig replied afterward. Feliciano smiled, bubbling from excitement. He wasn't expecting anything extra from the invitation, not to say that it wouldn't be nice if it were offered. Ludwig stood from his seat, informing Feliciano that he would return shortly, so he could tell his sibling about his plans.

Gilbert snickered as Ludwig told him. "So soon? Oh, boy, you sure are somethin'!" Gilbert exclaimed, pretending to wipe away a tear of pride from his eye. Ludwig looked confused for a moment, his face transforming to that of embarrassment and perhaps a bit of anger.

"N-No, not like that! He's only inviting me over to see his apartment, nothing more, I swear!" Ludwig sputtered quickly.

"Alright, alright, Luddy, just be back by morning, you know I'll be too hungover to make myself breakfast." Gilbert said, meaning that Ludwig would be the one making it for him. With a sigh, Ludwig nodded, thanking him, and started back over to Feliciano. As Ludwig turned away, walking off, Gilbert gave his friends his signature 'knowing smirk'. His friends returned the gesture, raising their eyebrows accordingly. He giggled once more, heading over to the bar for another round of beer.

When Ludwig returned, Feliciano asked with his eyes, his eyebrows quirking up in question, as if to say, 'It's a yes?'. Ludwig nodded, reading Feliciano's facial expression. Feli's eyebrows relaxed, his mouth breaking into a smile. "Great! We should get going, I'm not sure when my brother will be home."

"That won't be too much of a problem anyway, will it?" Ludwig asked, curious as to why Feliciano looked a bit troubled.

"U-Um, it won't be, it's just that..." Feliciano's voice became considerably quieter, mumbling the last bit, "He doesn't exactly like you..." He finished.

"Sorry, I didn't quite catch that last part." Ludwig replied.

"I said he isn't that social, especially around new people. He doesn't really trust people easily, see." Feliciano said again, hoping his words didn't hurt the German too much.

"Oh, yes, I understand. I suppose I can arrange to be on my way by the time he arrives." Ludwig answered. Feliciano nodded, thanking him. "Alright, well, I guess we should get going." Ludwig continued. Feliciano nodded, rising from his seat.

"Yes, we should." He said shortly after.

Walking with Ludwig across the bar, they neared the door shortly. Gilbert caught his brother's eye as Feliciano opened the door to exit. Ludwig's brother winked at him, grinning, suggesting something more. Ludwig blushed at the action, frowning at his brother. Gilbert snickered once more, waving him on, mouthing, 'Go on, go.' Ludwig quickly exited the bar, cursing his brother quietly. Feliciano walked down the sidewalk with Ludwig, looking for a taxi.

"You don't have a car?" Ludwig questioned.

"Oh, no, I do, I share it with my brother." Feliciano answered.

"Ah, yes. Okay." Ludwig said in an understanding tone, nodding.

"So, does your brother live with you?" Feliciano asked.

"Yes, he has a room in my house. I don't mind having him there, it's honestly good to have something like him to distract you now and again. Better than living alone." Ludwig admitted.

"I think having a strong relationship with your siblings is important." Feliciano said, smiling.

"I couldn't agree more." Ludwig agreed. Feliciano looked up at Ludwig, beaming beautifully. Ludwig looked back at him, a smile tugging on his lips.

Just then, something caught Ludwig's eye, breaking their eye contact. Feliciano turned to see what Ludwig was looking at. "Taxi!" Feliciano called, spotting the yellow vehicle. He waved his hand up, stepping slightly off of the curb's edge. The taxi came to a stop next to him. The driver gestured for the two to enter the car. Once they had climbed in, Feliciano told the driver his destination. The taxi driver nodded, as he put the car into motion once more.

After about ten minutes of riding in the vehicle that smelled of cheap perfume, sweat and alcohol, the taxi stopped. Much to Ludwig's relief, he quickly stepped out of the car. Feliciano following close behind, he stopped to pay the driver. "Thank you. Have a good night!" Feliciano said cheerfully.

"You too." The taxi driver nodded, waiting a few moments before starting off again.

Feliciano trotted up the steps to his apartment, stopping to unlock the door. Ludwig patiently waited as the Italian tried to twist the key right. "Just...give a minute.." Feliciano muttered nervously. "You know how reliable these things are!" He laughed, clearly on edge with the lock.

"Here, let me try." Ludwig offered. Feliciano stepped back, letting Ludwig give it a try. Ludwig wiggled the key for a short moment, hearing the clicking noise as a confirmation that the attempt had been a success. Feliciano laughed, amazed and exasperated at how quickly the German was able to get the door open. Sensing the Italian's questioning on the matter, Ludwig stated simply, "Technique." Feliciano was unsatisfied with that answer, but decided it wasn't important enough to ponder too much on.

Stepping inside, Feliciano realized how much of a mess his apartment really was. This only added to his nerves, seeing from his observations that Ludwig was an unnaturally clean type of person. Relocking the door, Feliciano seemed almost panicked. Ludwig looked around, taking note of every out-of-place item, not that it mattered to him too much. After about thirty seconds of Feliciano feeling terrible about his messy apartment and Ludwig looking about the room, Feliciano finally spoke. "Do you want any coffee? I can make some really quick if you'd like." Feliciano spoke fast, a side effect of his all-too-detectable nervousness.

"No, I'm fine, thank you." Ludwig answered. Feliciano nodded, settling into a chair. He fidgeted with his fingers for a moment, chewing his lip slightly. "Is something bothering you, Feliciano?" Ludwig asked, worried.

"Um, n-no, I'm okay. I just..I have to tell you..er, I have to tell you something." Feliciano stammered. Ludwig became more worried by his statement. A few seconds passed, the tension in the room growing.

"Well, tell me, then." Ludwig said, puzzled.

"O-Okay. Here goes nothing. Um, that night when I saw you the first time, I kind of...fell in love with you?" Feliciano continued, nervous. "Ludwig Beilschmidt, I have become terribly infatuated with you. This may be a bit shocking, odd, even, and I can understand if-" Feliciano was interrupted by Ludwig's finger pressed to his lips.

"Stop. Stop talking, please." Ludwig pressed. Panic spread all throughout Feli's body, his eyes pricking with tears. "W-What?" He asked, only to be answered by Ludwig's lips being pressed against his own, Ludwig's hands on Feliciano's waist. Feliciano quickly melted into the kiss, all his past worries disappearing.

Just then, the door clicked, signaling its unlock. "Feli, I'm ho-" Lovino's voice was interrupted by the scene in front of him.


	4. Chapter 4

Lovino cleared his throat, interrupting their kiss. Ludwig blushed a few shades darker, if possible. Lovino raised his eyebrow at his brother, making an inquisitive facial expression. Feliciano looked back, anxiously smiling, eyes wide. "Am I interrupting something...?" Lovino asked finally.

"E-Er, no, we-" Feliciano managed to say, being cut off by his brother.

"Feli, it's...it's okay," Lovino said carefully, trying to keep his brother from having a nervous breakdown. Ludwig looked at Lovino, his face still flushed. Lovino looked back at him, or up, rather, due to the blonde's impressive height. "..And you are?" He asked, cocking an eyebrow.

"Ludwig. Ludwig Beilschmidt." He replied. Lovino hummed at the answer.

"Lovino Vargas. Nice way to meet, if I do say so myself." Lovino sarcastically stated. Ludwig nodded, only after doing so that he realized that Lovino wasn't serious. He cleared his throat, sticking his hand out, offering a handshake to the darker haired Italian. Lovino shook his hand firmly, nodding to the German, his brow still furrowed seriously.

They looked at each other for a good five seconds, before Feliciano cheerily interrupted the silence with a declaration.

"I'll go make some coffee!" He blurted. Before either could object, Feliciano had skipped off into the kitchen.

Lovino gestured to the chair farthest from the kitchen, telling Ludwig to take a seat with his hands. Ludwig obliged, tugging at his shirt collar as he sat down. Muffled rummaging noises could be heard from the kitchen as Feliciano searched for coffee mugs and such. Lovino stared into Ludwig's eyes, narrowing his own. He stood in front of Ludwig, slightly bending so that they were at eye level. "If you hurt him..." He began, a low, slightly frightening whisper, referring to his younger brother, "I will shove my boot so far up your ass that you will shit leather for a month." Ludwig's expression held the exact definition of shock and weird anxiety. "Understood?" Lovino finished. Ludwig nodded quickly, his blue eyes wide, obviously startled.

Feliciano walked in, somehow managing to balance three coffee mugs, all without any getting onto his white button-up. His lazy smile calmed the German, and Ludwig was glad he was bringing coffee. He needed something to quench the dry spot in his throat, caused by Lovino's concerning threat. "So, how was your day, fratello?"

"Shitty as any other. You know how it is, busy office days." He huffed, making unsatisfied hand gestures, rolling his eyes. Ludwig sat, listening to Lovino occasionally complaining, which Feliciano would respond with a humming noise, or an 'I'm sorry about that, fratello.' and other variants of that phrase.

Ludwig sipped his coffee, choking a small bit when Lovino addressed him directly. "So, what kind of shit job do you work?" Lovino asked Ludwig wasn't sure if that was an insult to his profession, of which Lovino was not aware of, or if he was simply stating that all jobs are shit. Perhaps it was just the way he talked, inserting unnecessary curses into the conversation. Nonetheless, Ludwig was expected to answer. He cleared his throat, thinking for a moment as to what to say. Lovino looked him in the eye, waiting.

"I work i-in the car repair business quite a bit, but I also have a small part-time job baking." Ludwig managed to say, only stuttering on one word. Lovino nodded, raising a brow. Ludwig took this as a positive reaction, seeing there was no disgusted wrinkling of the nose, nor a 'hmph'. Feliciano piped up then, saying something to Lovino, asking about how Antonio was. Lovino answered accordingly, maybe even blushing a bit, and Ludwig only listened because it was the polite thing to do and he recognized the name as one of Gilbert's close friends. Looking at his watch, Ludwig was then aware of what time it was. Blinking, he coughed, standing from his seat. "I must be going now, my brother is sure to need help in the morning." _With his hangover,_ Ludwig finished in his thoughts. Feliciano, too, rose from the small couch.

"Ah, okay! I'll walk you out, then." Feliciano said with a smile. Lovino nodded at them, watching them leave the room.

"Thank you for the wonderful evening." Ludwig said, looking at Feliciano.

"No, thank you, the pleasure was all mine." Feliciano replied, smiling. He opened the door for the German, motioning for him to walk out of the door first. Ludwig took the offer, walking ahead. Feliciano followed him, closing the door behind him. Once outside, Feliciano managed to get onto the tips of his toes, kissing Ludwig's cheek cutely. Ludwig blushed a little at the action, smiling slightly. Afterward, Feliciano watched him walk down the stairs, albeit a short flight of them, and made sure he got into a taxi safely. Feliciano then walked inside, sighing happily as he closed the door.


End file.
